STMOTW Rally Bus to Albany

BUFFALO, NY, June 04, 2015- CALL TO ACTION

Although passed by the State Senate, Bill A.355 has been stalled in the Assembly. Several key Democrat Assembly members are blocking the vote from getting to the floor. Although they have shown support for A.355, both Speaker Heastie and Majority Leader Morelle appear to have crumbled under pressure from some of their party colleagues. Lobbyists for the the medical association are frantically applying pressure for a NO vote. Physicians don’t want to be required to learn about the medication they are prescribing, and pharmaceutical companies want the good times to keep rolling. The time for action is now.  The Assembly session closes in just 6 days. 

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

Join the STMOTW Rally Bus and make your voice be heard! There is power in numbers. One Tuesday, June 9, Save the Michaels is taking the fight to Albany, and we need YOU to join us. Let’s tell Albany that pharmaceutical and medical lobbyists should NOT have control over our politicians. The bus will leave Buffalo at 6 am, and return to Buffalo at 10 am. Please bring photos of your addicted loved ones, and your story to share.  For more information, or to sign on board the STMOTW Rally Bus to Albany, please comment below.

CALL TO ACTION

BUFFALO, NY, June 04, 2015- CALL TO ACTION Although passed by the State Senate, Bill A.355 has been stalled in the Assembly. Several key Democrat Assembly members are blocking the vote from getting to the floor. Although they have shown support for A.355, both Speaker Heastie and Majority Leader Morelle appear to have crumbled under pressure from some of their party colleagues. Heastie’s office in Albany claims he is undecided, and Morrelle’s office informed me that his position will remain private until after he casts his vote. These Assembly leaders, who were elected to represent us, are refusing to tell the public their stance on requiring doctors to be trained about the addictive medications they prescribe. Lobbyists for the medical association are frantically applying pressure for a NO vote. Physicians don’t want to be required to learn about the medication they are prescribing, and pharmaceutical companies want the good times to keep rolling. The time for action is now. The Assembly session closes in just 6 days. CALL THEM! EMAIL THEM! TELL THEM TO VOTE YES!!!!
Carl E. Heastie -- District 83 LOB 932 Albany, NY 12248 518-455-3791 Fax:518-455-4812 1446 East Gun Hill Road Bronx, NY 10469 718-654-6539 Fax:718-654-5836 Speaker@assembly.state.ny.us
Joseph Dispenza​ D. Morelle -- District 136 LOB 926 Albany, NY 12248 518-455-5373 Fax:518-455-5647 1945 East Ridge Road Rochester, NY 14622 585-467-0410 Fax:585-467-5342 morellej@assembly.state.ny.us
Robin Schimminger -- District 140 LOB 847 Albany, NY 12248 518-455-4767 3514 Delaware Avenue Kenmore, NY 14217 716-873-2540 SchimmR@assembly.state.ny.us
Kevin A. Cahill -- District 103 LOB 716 Albany, NY 12248 518-455-4436 Governor Clinton Bldg. Suite G-4 1 Albany Ave Kingston, NY 12401 845-338-9610 CahillK@assembly.state.ny.us
Steven Cymbrowitz -- District 45 LOB 824 Albany, NY 12248 518-455-5214 1800 Sheepshead Bay Road Brooklyn, NY 11235 718-743-4078 CymbroS@assembly.state.ny.us

Schimminger Opposes Doctor Education

NYS ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 140, JUNE 04, 2015-
Assemblyman Robin Schimminger for Tonawanda, North Tonawanda and Kenmore is blocking the vote on Bill A.355, which would mandate physicians have a minimal, three-hour training per two years on the opiate pain killers they prescribe. Although the Bill passed in the Senate, and has enough votes to pass in the Assembly, and although it is co-sponsored by his Democratic Leadership colleagues Deputy Speaker Earlene Hooper and Deputy Majority Whip Barbara Clark, Schimminger opposes the mandate.
While most professionals, including teachers, accountants, electricians and more are required by law to participate in continuing education, Schimminger doesn’t feel it is necessary for doctors to have the same mandate when prescribing drugs so similar to heroin that they are the most common cause of drug overdose in America. Is he mad? Perhaps. Or perhaps there is another reason he is opposed to the Bill. Could it be that massive campaign contributions from pharmaceutical companies and physician lobbying organizations have influenced his vote?
Here are just a few of Schimminger’s recent campaign contributors:
Astellas Pharma US INC
Astra US Holdings Corp
Astra Zeneca
Astrazeneca
Astrazeneca Services
Bayer, PA
Bayer, CT
Bayer Healthcare
Bayer Healthcare LLC
Eli Lilly &Co PAC NYC
Eli Lilly &Co PAC Albany
Eli Lilly &Co PAC Indiana
Eli Lilly &Co PAC
Healthcare Association of NY
Healthcare Providers PAC
Healthcare NY
Healthy NY
HPA PAC
Johnson & Johnson PAC
Medical Society for the State of New York PAC
Medimmune Biologics
Merck
Merck & Co INC
Merck NY PAC
Merck NYS PAC
Merck, Sharp & Dohme Corp
MSSNY
Pfiezer PAC
Pharmacy PAC of NYS
PHRMAC (Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America)
http://www.elections.ny.gov:8080/plsql_…/getfiler2_loaddates
He received dozens of additional campaign contributions from an array of other medical associations, lobbying groups, and organizations within the pharma industry. Is it any wonder he against this Bill?
I called Assemblyman Schimminger’s office for comment and was referred to his media spokesperson Jill. Jill has not returned my call.
So help me to keep calling.
• Robin Schimminger -- District 140
LOB 847
Albany, NY 12248
518-455-4767
3514 Delaware Avenue
Kenmore, NY 14217
716-873-2540
SchimmR@assembly.state.ny.us

by Keri Lock

ALBANY, NY, June 02, 2015- PHYSICIAN AWARENESS SAVES LIVES.

NYS Bill A355 has had a positive reception in the NYS Assembly, but needs public support for a “YES” vote. Current legislation allows board-certified physicians to prescribe opiate pain-killers such as hydrocodone. Yet very few of these prescribers have engaged in training regarding the addictive nature of these medications. This lack of training in the medical community has contributed to the current opiate abuse epidemic in New York State. Doctors prescribing medications without the knowledge of the side-effects has created an environment that fosters addiction. One solution to this tragedy is easy; require doctors to participate in continuing education about the medicine they are allowed to provide to our community.  

Contact your NYS Assembly Representative and request they vote YES for Bill A355. Physician Awareness saves lives.

Phone, text or tweet. Find your district and tell them that physicians should have knowledge about the dangers of the drugs they prescribe. Find your representative here:

http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/

by Keri Lock

STMOTW Brings Awareness to Lancaster High School

 

LANCASTER, NY, MAY 27, 2015- Historical, scientific and anecdotal evidence confirms the particular vulnerability of young adults and teenagers to substance abuse and addiction. Due to the immature development in the information processing and decision making regions of the brain, young people are more likely to engage in risk-taking behaviors such as experimentation with drugs. Critically, young brains are also more susceptible to the often irreversible damage that can be caused by drug use. These factors make prevention imperative.

Dedicated to making change through partnership and education, Save the Michaels provides information sessions and workshops to local schools and organizations. On Wednesday, May 27, Save the Michaels brought an intensive information session to Lancaster High School. Armed with the statistics, data, news and advice for instruction about the dangers and consequence of prescription drug use, founder Avi Israel, joined by his team Phil Luzio, Colleen Babcock and Keri Lock, offered counsel and direction to hundreds of Lancaster students.

Arranged in the school cafeteria as an informational meet and greet, Save the Michaels reached out to hundreds of high schoolers, offering information, answering questions, and challenging awareness to spark serious attention to the issue. Joined by Colleen Babcock’s therapy dog Liberty, the Save the Michaels team engaged children throughout the day in a meaningful and dynamic presentation.

Many thanks to Lancaster High School for their support of the program, and for continued partnership in working towards awareness.    

Photos by Phil Luzio                                                                                Written by Keri Lock

Save the Michaels Shows Support for HIDTA Funding

MAY 18, 2015, BUFFALO, NEW YORK- Senator Chuck Schumer is pushing to reverse President Obama’s proposed budgetary cuts to the anti-drug trafficking program known as HIDTA. In a press conference Monday at Buffalo Police Headquarters, Schumer was joined by Mayor Byron Brown and Police Commissioner Daniel Derenda as he outlined the impact these cuts would have directly on the Western New York area.

Flanked by Save the Michaels founders Avi and Julie Israel, Schumer announced his opposition to the budgetary cuts, along with his own proposal to request a $100 million increase in funding for the program. Obama’s intended cuts are surprising, local lawmakers say, considering that heroin use has increased at record rates across the country, and specifically in Western New York. Heroin overdose deaths are up 30% since 2013, with 35 deaths in Buffalo alone so far this year. The need for targeted action against drug traffickers, officials argue, is greater than ever.

Opponents of HIDTA argue that the program acts as an impetus for law enforcement to focus their efforts on drug arrests, and draws resources from other crime investigations. However, statistics show that with increased drug use, comes an increase in crime across the board. When the financial costs of already over-burdened addiction treatment services are considered, prevention becomes even more critical.

The near-epidemic heroin crisis impacts Western New-Yorkers proportionately across all ethnic groups, and within every socio-economic category, claims Schumer. No one is immune. The key, he argues, is organizing the focus on disbanding the drug-rings that facilitate the supply of heroin within our communities.  

HIDTA funds allow federal and local law enforcement to coordinate, share information, equipment and manpower, all crucial in reversing the deadly surge in heroin abuse. “In fact,” said Schumer, “we need to increase funding to programs like HIDTA to get drugs out of our communities.” Law enforcement must be provided with the proper resources to fight the growing opiate epidemic.

Written and Posted by Keri Lock

 

Save the Michaels of the World

Welcome to the new home of Save the Michaels of the World, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness of the dangers of prescription drug abuse. Check back often for news, updates and upcoming events, as well as information on how you can make a difference!